In a time of global conflict, the elite international task force Overwatch formed. Soldiers, scientists, adventurers, and oddities: together, they ended the Omnic Crisis and restored peace to a war-torn world. For a generation, the heroes of Overwatch protected the world, inspiring an era of exploration, innovation, and discovery.

After many years, Overwatch became troubled, and finally disbanded. Without them, world conflict and terror rose again. Governments weakened by strife ceded power to mega-corporations and private security forces. Some omnics returned to war with humans, while others remained peaceful but faced fear and violence. Overwatch was gone…but the world still needed heroes.

You are a young man who's been many things: adventurer, treasure hunter, freedom fighter, and international criminal. Recently you encountered the re-formed Overwatch: a grand title for two ex-agents, Winston and Tracer, operating as outlaws out of an abandoned Watchpoint. Despite their down-and-out-status, or perhaps because of it, you were inspired to join them. You left your old life behind to become the first recruit of the new Overwatch.

Now you and Tracer are travelling the globe, defending the people of the world from harm and searching for potential agents to rebuild Overwatch. The world needs heroes. Maybe you can be one of them.

The team succesfully defended the Watchpoint from Talon's assault forces. You distinguished yourself by taking out Reaper and his squad alone, and with style. The team was impressed by your personal exploits. Your defense strategy was good, if not perfect: the base took some damage from breach charges and exploding fuel tanks, but all agents emerged more or less unscathed.

Soon you were ready to head out on your next mission, which you had decided would be the first time the team split up. Tracer and Reinhardt would take the Aurora to Antarctica, to investigate a mysterious signal from an abandoned scientific outpost. Meanwhile, Mercy, McCree, and yourself would take civilian transport to Japan, to investigate Genji's disappearance and the plans of the Shimada clan.

>This could be a Talon trap. Stay focused out there.>This could be something valuable. Do what it takes.>Good luck, Tracer.>Good luck, Lena.>When we get back, my new suit will be ready. How about a race?

"It's Logan," you say. "Named after Canada's most badass citizen: Wolverine." It's actually after your great-uncle on your father's side, but you prefer this version.

"Logan," she says, testing the name on her tongue. She grins. "It's kinda manly. I like it."

"Guess it suits me, then," you say, smiling back at her.

You readjust your clothes. It feels odd wearing a civilian outfit. Brigitte got one of the fabricators working, and it printed you out some basics. You're used to wearing your adventuring gear, though. That armor has been like a second skin throughout the years. Now it's packed away, and you're dressed like an ordinary citizen.

"I've never seen you in civvies before," Tracer says, looking you up and down. She takes a closer look at your face. "Hey, you're a handsome devil under that mask, ain'tcha? How come you wear that thing so much?"

>The scanner and hud provide useful information. And it protects my head. >I have to protect my secret identity.>I like to be mysterious.>Just an old habit.>*blush and stammer*

Did you hear that right? Yeah, you did. She called you handsome. You feel your cheeks heating up and look away from her inquisitive gaze. "I-it's ... I mean, the heads-up display provides useful information when I'm working, a-and it protects my head. People seem to like punching me in the face."

"Why were you wearin' it around the base, though?" says Tracer, pursing her lips skeptically.

"I ... I just like to be mysterious, okay? I like the whole masked guy thing. "Who is that mysterious man behind the mask? Oh my gosh, he's so cool!" And besides ..." You mutter something inaudible.

Tracer leans in. "Wot was that?"

"I don't own any other clothes!" you say, louder than you intended. Tracer winces back. "Sorry. Just before the Dorado job, my base went up in smoke. I lost everything. Got out with my gear and nothing else." You had some currency in a reserve fund, but you don't mention for now that you've spent it on upgrades for the Watchpoint.

"Sorry to hear that, mate," she says. "Good thing we got the fabber up and running, then. Once you get back maybe I can give ya some fashion tips. After I kick your butt in the race, that is," she adds, winking.

Getting into the Spanish airport is uneventful. Mercy's civilian identity of Dr. Angela Ziegler is still considered a respected physician, retired from a more exciting, if somewhat scandalous, occupation.

You and McCree are both wanted men, but fake identification papers and tricking cam scanners happen to be tricks of your trade.

"Thanks, pardner," he says after you finish getting through security. "Last time I took a trip someplace, I couldn't figger how to get a phony ID for a train. So I stowed away on top of it. Can't say it was the most comfortable ride I've ever had. Good thing I like a little fresh air, even if it is blowing past at 640 kilometers an hour." Something occurs to him. "How are you getting our gear through? Don't they have, you know, scanners and such?"

"Well, there was this one time. Me and Gabe -- that's, er, Gabriel Reyes, you know, my old squad leader. We went over to Japan to help Genji sort out a few things. Things he wanted kept under the table, you know. Dealt with quiet-like."

You've heard the rumors before. That Reyes and McCree were part of something called "Blackwatch", a secret covert-ops team, dedicated to missions off the books. Sometimes a crisis would arise where Overwatch intervention would have political consequences, and yet mysteriously resolve itself, seemingly without action from Overwatch. Maybe you don't know him well enough to ask about that yet, though.

Instead you say, "What about his clan? The Shimadas?"

"Well, it's funny you should say that," he says. "The thing we helped Genji with was to take down his old clan. For a while there, he was totally dedicated to bringing 'em down. Said they were a "blight on his country" or somethin'. He called us in for the big finale, a real showdown. It went well. I thought we won.

"But from what I hear these days, the Shimadas are back, in a big way. Not sure how they dragged themselves back from the dead in such a short time. If the rumors are true, they can just about buy and sell half of Japan now."

"I hear Japan is lovely this time of year," she says. "We'll be busy soon enough, but I plan to enjoy the tourist section of our trip while it lasts."

>Talk casually about the sights in Japan.>Check out the in-flight entertainment together.>Ask what she thinks Genji is doing.>Ask if Genji ever talked about his brother, Hanzo.>Ask if Mercy's really the one who turned Genji into a cyborg.

"That sounds great," you say. "I've been to Japan a couple of times. Didn't have much of a chance for sight-seeing, but what I did see was incredible. Neo-Tokyo lit up at night was really something."

"Supposedly where we're going, they have groves of cherry trees engineered to bloom year-round," she says. "Ironic, considering they once represented a symbol of transience. But none the less beautiful for their immortality. I would love the chance to have a viewing party."

"Maybe we can do that while we're here," you say, trying to sound casual and not stammer. "Y-you know, if it doesn't interfere with the mission."

She smiles at you. "That sounds lovely."

"Great. For now," you say, turning to the in-flight datapad. "Why don't we check out the entertainment?"

You and Mercy watch some light-hearted comedies together. She has to ask you about a few of the jokes at first - German speakers tend towards blunt senses of humor. When she does start to get the humor, she tries to stay reserved, but soon starts to burst out in giggles. You pass the time for a while, listening to her laughter, enjoying this time of peace and respite from the chaos of the past few weeks.

There's something on your mind, though, and eventually you have to ask it. "About Genji," you say to her. "I heard that you were the one who -- who saved his life." You were about to say "turned him into a machine," but at the last moment decided to phrase it more politely.

She takes a moment to respond. "It's true," she says. "I performed the cyberization procedure. I had some help, but the responsibility was mine. I saw promise in the technique at the time. But its subjects tend towards ... psychological instability." She sighs. It's clearly a painful memory. "Genji was stable at first. But over time, he began to feel that the cost he had paid was too much. That he was more machine than man. He told me that--that I had--"

Was that a tear you saw, before she turned away?

>Hey, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked.>I think you did the right thing.>He was right. You shouldn't have done that to him.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked." You bite back your nervousness and reach out to put your hand on her shoulder. Underneath her fuzzy sweater you can feel her slim shoulder moving. She raises her glasses to wipe one of her eyes.

"We were once friends, or so I thought," she says. "But he didn't leave Overwatch on the best of terms, and he had some choice words for me in particular. It's still not a pleasant memory."

"Well, I think you did the right thing. Maybe he doesn't like what he's become, but maybe he'll appreciate what he can do. Even if he's not happy, you gave him a chance to be happy. He wouldn't have that chance without you."

Mercy turns back to you and smiles, her eyes still shining a little. "Thank you, Seeker."

"N-no problem," you say, withdrawing your hand.

She sighs. "If we do run into him, I don't know if he'll be happy to see me. Despite that, I'd love it if we could somehow convince him to join us."

You say, "My priority is ..."

>Taking down the Shimada Clan.>Finding Genji.>Seeing those cherry trees with you.

>>1076374>Hey, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked.>I think you did the right thing.

"Sometimes, people are too focused on what they've lost, and forget to cherish what they still have. I wouldn't dwell on whatever it is he told you; the past is the past. What matters is that you keep on moving towards a brighter future."

>>1076552McCree used to be Blackwatch right? I think he'll be good for this kind of thing. >Send McCree to Strip Club>We go to the Bar>Mercy go to the hospital and see if there is an influx of patients with knife or shuriken wound

You've never been here before, but from the number of machines, visible implants, and prosthetics you can see, this place is at the height of cyberware technology. You see people with brightly glowing hair, holographic clothing, elaborate limb replacements and cyberizations. If Genji got into some kind of scrap, or needed repairs, you think. He'd have to go to a neighborhood like this. But he wouldn't go to a licensed shop. He'd find a back alley somewhere. The black market.

At the front of the alley is a store selling metallic bits and pieces: nails, bolts, wires, small replacement parts for machines. An old model Omnic sits behind the counter, watching a holographic entertainment program. Perhaps you can ask it something.

>Ask about the Shimadas.>Ask about cyborg ninjas.>Ask about archers.>Ask about cyberware enhancements.

I may be wrong on the lore and stuff here, but the way I see it, just up and asking about the Shimadas is probably going to have him clam up. Genji, on the other hand, is probably involved with some kind of attempt to stop the Shimadas, because I think that's where he's at right now. So if we find him, we find an in to stopping the Shimadas.

"Hey there," you say to the ancient omnic. It's boxy, battered, grey, a thick power cable running out its back into a recharge station. Its head swivels towards you. "You speak English?" you ask it.

"Of course," it replies in a flat, synthesized voice. "Omnics are equipped with all spoken human languages."

Right, of course, you think. Dealing with Bastion and his beeps and boops made you forget that most Omnics are actual computers. Smarter than most humans, even older models like this one.

"Let's say a young man like myself wanted a little edge," you say. "Something to make me faster, or stronger. I can find something like that around here, yeah?"

"Yes," it replies. "There are many services available for you humans to replace your flesh parts with superior metal. Just kidding. Hah. Hah."

You glance at your teammates. They shrug.

You turn back to the Omnic. You try to present to it a certain level of obvious guilt -- guilty enough not to be a cop, bot not so guilty that you're actually, for example, an outlaw vigilante about to attack a powerful crime syndicate. "Let's say maybe my name got put on a few lists somewhere, and they don't think I be trusted with that kind of tech. So maybe I need a little privacy for this. Would you happen to know someone I could talk to?"

The robot's optics blink on and off a few times. "Perhaps."

"Like ... maybe the guys who run things around here. They would have that kind of pull, right?"

"Indeed," says the robot. "But you might not like their price."

"Huh. What do you mean by that?"

"Loyalty," it says. "It has become very important to them."

"I see," you say, not seeing. "Well, maybe you've seen a friend of mine around here. He might know a guy to talk to. He's got a green visor, carries a pair of swords?"

>>1076715>Mercy, try to talk him into it.'If this Omnic is as old as he looks then he was made before the crisis so i doubt there is much you can do to him to make him scared; That and we have no idea who his friends might be.

Come on, anons. Are you seriously going with the innocent person's approach over the experienced criminal's in this situation? What the fuck are you doing? We don't have time for Mercy to bat her eyelids at the omnic, we need to catch up to Genji. Now.

"No idea," you say. "I figure it can't hurt to try the good cop approach first."

"Reckon that's so," he says.

Mercy returns surprisingly quickly. "That wasn't so hard," she said. "However, I regret to say that he was right. You won't like where Genji is."

McCree looks at her, puzzled. "What in tarnation--"

You say, "Wait, how did you--?"

Mercy beams, angelic. "Sometimes you just have to know the way to someone's heart."

"Oh, that's--"

"For example, I asked our friend back there what would happen if the Shimadas knew he sold repair parts to their outlawed heir, to whom all assistance is forbidden? I don't think they'd appreciate it, do you? Might go so far as to make an example of him for the other merchants in the district. That would be an awful shame, don't you think?"

You take a second look at Mercy's smile. It's not quite as angelic as it was a few moments ago.

"Okay, nice work. So where is he?"

Her smile fades. "Yes. Well. He's in Shimada castle. If we're lucky, he's a prisoner. If not ..." She doesn't finish the sentence.

Great. You just had to say it. Why couldn't we do both at once, you said, about the Shimadas and Genji. Looks like you'll get your wish.

>>1076833Debatable. They were both playing/going to play rough, neither of them were good cop. The Good Cop we were saying was a waste of time was Mercy's 'maybe if he knows we've got a personal connection, he'll relent' stated approach. Which wasn't what she ended up doing.

How large is the range on our communicators? Any way we could get a call in from Tracer before we assault the castle, see how their trip is going? Or are we essentially both working blind to each other with the only contact being Winston and Torbs back at base?

>>1076988Right now, long-range communication is done by piggybacking on other signals. Possible, but only in certain windows for short periods, unless it's an emergency and you're willing to give up your location. You should be able to get in a short conversation with Tracer before attacking the castle.

>>1077606She can help a little with intelligence gathering. Those other things won't be available until you purchase Athena's Hack function.

>>1077612Artificial intelligences are illegal because most of them went insane and started trying to kill humanity. Athena claims to be different, but right now you only have her word for it. So maybe that's something to look into.

>>1077631>She can help a little with intelligence gathering. Those other things won't be available until you purchase Athena's Hack function.So, we can't steal all of the Shimada's money and use it to fund overwatch?

>>1077641I'd guess that we'd need a way to acquire access keys and account statements before we can use Athena to spoof our way into their banking network. There's no telling how secure the Shimada family fortune is, let alone how many different banking institutes are holding their accounts. Truth be told, I'd guess that we'd need some serious hacking power and I don't think Athena has had that Hacking upgrade installed yet. Digital assets are a bitch to steal half the time; the other half they're easy to get because some idiot always has the password as "PASSWORD", or SWORDFISH.

>>1077631nb4 Athena is really a Advanced Learning Self-Aware Intelligence whose architecture is based off of a First Generation Overwatch agent's brainscans.

>>1077703>What could go wrong?1) Athena may start desiring more than just knowledge. She may want to begin understanding what feelings and emotions are (damn you Alan Turing) and may start construction on the side for a 1:1 scale synthskin body that would give Genji's cyborg body a run for its money. Literally the Pinnochio scenario (or the EDI scenario for the Mass Effect fans).

2) Athena may take her programming directive of "PROTECT OVERWATCH" to the extreme, albeit slowly over the period of years, and may start setting up some sort of way to keep Overwatch and its aligned allies in a miniature Dyson Sphere (whether on Earth or in space or in some freaky ass pocket dimension using the rapid molecular fabrication assembly technology that is everywhere in the Overwatch-verse) and causing a simultaneous technological singularity to destroy the rest of the Earth that does not follow Overwatch's ideals.

3) Athena in her lust for knowledge and learning decides to slowly dissect and analyze what dormant bits of Anubis has been recovered from the Anubis Incident. Then she assimilates small bits and pieces of the God Program that she deems "safe" and slowly but surely Athena becomes more and more self-aware and learning more and more of what her existence and the existence of all robots mean in the Overwatch-verse. Cue the Second Omnic Crisis.

But Anon, there already is a Second Omnic Crisis afoot in Russia. The Omnium in Siberia just sprung to life one day in-game canon, and the Russians have been holding the line with those gigantic Svyatogor mechs ever since. It's the only reason why Zarya isn't trouncing the weightlifting records at the Summer Olympics, even--that 512 tattoo on her shoulder shows her personal best weightlifting record in kilos.

If anything, it would create a second front in this new Omnic Crisis--a front that would be far more extensive and damaging than just a single self-aware, self-producing factory in the middle of the Siberian wastes.

The First Omnic Crisis happened around thirty years ago--if that short with Winston is anything to go by. Seeker was a twinkle in his father's eye at this point--hell, a lot of the characters in Overwatch weren't even born at the start of the war.

Mercy relays the story to you and McCree. According to rumor, a daring midnight raid was conducted on the Shimada castle, just a few nights ago. Connecting that to the robot proprieter's conversation with Genji, it seemed clear that the cyber-ninja was involved. He hasn't been seen or heard from since the attack. All you can do is hope that he's been taken prisoner rather than killed outright.

A mysterious archer is also connected to the attack-- not a stretch to imagine that might be Genji's elder brother Hanzo, who is said to have given up the sword. If you tracked him down, he might help you. Or he might already be working for the enemy.

There's also the matter of the Shimada clan's unexplained return to power. According to McCree, he helped Genji eradicate the criminal organization years ago. Where are they getting their funding and influence? Maybe if you investigated them, you might get a better idea of what you were walking into here, or even see a piece of the bigger puzzle.

Intelligence and a possibly ally are important, but maybe you shouldn't wait any longer, and just go straight to the castle. If Genji is alive, who knows for how long?

>Go to Shimada castle immediately.>Track down the mysterious archer.>Investigate the Shimadas' unknown benefactors.>Ask your allies what they think.>Something else.

"I think we should search for this archer," says Mercy. "It must be Genji's older brother, Hanzo. Genji told me his brother was consumed by guilt over their battle. He rejected his clan and home to live as a vagabond. Surely such a man could be convinced to repay his debt to his brother in a time of need? And we could use his assistance."

"Another gun's welcome," says McCree. "Or bow in this case, I guess. But I don't think we should be standin' around when there's work to be done. We should head for the castle straight away. Longer we hang around here without gettin' the job done, longer they have to find out we're comin' and get ready for us."

They both have a point. Huh. Well, at least that narrows it down a little. You think about it for a few moments, going back and forth on it. Sometimes deciding things is really hard.

"Let's track down the archer," you say eventually. "Maybe he can help us."

It's surprisingly easy to track down Hanzo. Apparently a tattooed man in a kimono shouting "Sake!" as he tries to drown his guilt in rice liquor stands out a bit, even around here.

The problem is where you find him. Or rather, who you find him with. In a darkened alley, the sky fading to twilight, you find Hanzo the archer, surrounded by four goons in suits.

"We warned you, old man," one of the goons says, thumping his fist into his other hand. "The boss took mercy on you. He gave you a free ticket out of town, and you didn't take it. You had to hang around. Now you're gonna pay the price."

The goons stride forward, fists at the ready. You think about jumping to Hanzo's defense, but before you can react, he raises his bow and fires an arrow into one of the goons. He then switches grip on his bow and spins it around to clobber two of the goons in the face. The fourth goon stands there with a look of shock on his face. Hanzo gives him a grim smile and notches an arrow. The goon falls back onto his butt and scrambles away.

Hanzo lowers his bow and dusts off his shoulder. For a moment, you think he's sorted the entire thing out himself. Then you see something. Bright red laser sights, aimed at Hanzo's chest from high ground to your left

No time for introductions, you guess. "Hanzo, get down!" you shout. He probably won't do it, since he won't recognize your voice. So it's up to you. You jump to your feet and trigger your new Tesla-powered boots. Time for a field test!

Thankfully the boots work just as expected. They boost you forward with a slingshot of momentum that gives you a giddy feeling like a ride at a carnival. As you're boosted forward, your front half is surrounded by a hemspherical shield of blue, shimmered energy, tesselated in hexagons. The shield blocks the volley of bullets fired from the laser-sighted rifles at Hanzo.

You skid to a stop in a cool pose next to Hanzo.

"Who are you?" he asks you, puzzled, even as he notches an arrow to his bow and moves to cover.

>I'm the guy who's going to help you save Genji.>I'm Seeker, and I'm kind of a big deal.>I'm with Overwatch.>That doesn't matter now.>Make a pun.

Also did anyone else know that Canada actually has its own martial art?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re6mZeKGhfMhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM_wLigRTqs>>1079548>"I'm Seeker, and I'm-">Nearly get shot>"I'mkindofabigdeal. MCCREE! BAD GUYS NEED SHOOTING!

You think of saying something about a dash-ing entrance, but decide maybe now's not the best time for it. "I'm the guy who's going to help you save Genji," you say instead, ducking behind cover. "That's what's important for now. Any ideas who these punks are?"

Hanzo stands from cover, looses an arrow, is rewarded with a yelp of pain. "These punks in suits are Shimada thugs. I don't know who's shooting at us, though!"

You poke your head out of cover. The people shooting at you are hidden in the shadowed windows of a nearby second floor. If only you were wearing your helmet, you could just zoom in on these guys and see who they were. At least your weapons and boots fit under your clothes.

You pull out the Gunblade, spin it into gun form, and unload a barrage. McCree strides forward into the alley, firing his powerful revolver.

The last enemy ducks down, but as Hanzo draws back an arrow, the dragon tattoo on his arm glows with a crackle of blue lightning. He looses, and the blue lightning flows into the arrow and sheathes it as it flies through the air. It strikes the back wall behind the window, then splits into a dozen scattered fragments that bounce in every direction. You hear the enemy inside go down.

"My arrow finds its mark," Hanzo says grimly, then turns to you. "As for you. I thank you for the assistance. Now ... would you care to explain yourself? Who are you, and how do you know about Genji?" Despite the rice wine you smell on his breath, he stares at you with the cold observation of a seasoned warrior.

McCree says, "Long story, partner. Name's McCree. This is Seeker, and this lovely lady behind us is Mercy. We'll explain everythin' on the way to Shimada castle, but the important thing is, we want to help you bust Genji out of there. That is, er ... assumin' he's alive."

"He is alive," Hanzo states emphatically. He thinks that over for a few moments. "I am not in a position to turn down help," he says. "I will do whatever it takes to save him." He reaches out to shake McCree's hand, then yours, with a firm grip.

Before leaving, you use your gravity boots to zip up the wall and over the window ledge, to investigate the shooters. They turn out to be soldiers in familiar red-lensed masks and dark combat gear.

"Talon operatives," you mutter, looking down at the bodies. "I should've known." Guess you found a clue regarding the Shimada clan's mysterious benefactors after all.

You hop back down, explain things to the others, then arrange to meet with Hanzo at the video arcade near Shimada castle after you've retrieved your gear. "It's usually empty these days," he tells you about the arcade. "We shouldn't attract too much attention."

Later, at the arcade. You and Mercy geared up in the back rooms, you in your adventuring gear, she in the Valkyrie suit. You emerge to find McCree seated at a game machine, playing a round of 16-Bit Hero, while Hanzo leans against the wall with his arms crossed. When they see that you two are ready, they join you to discuss the operation.

Hanzo tells you, "Just down the street is the front gate to the castle. It leads to the garden and shrine. Inside and to the right is the main courtyard, and beyond that, the castle keep. I am certain that's where they'll be keeping him. I suggest we come up with a plan."

Mercy and McCree look at each other.

"Jesse?" says Mercy, politely deferring.

McCree scratches his beard. "Planning was usually Gabe's end of the deal. I just went where he told me too, shot what he pointed me at."

"I think me and our new friend here should scout it out," you say, indicating Hanzo. "He knows the place, and I can back him up if he gets into a jam. McCree, when we give the signal, you knock on the front door real hard. Mercy, you follow him and make sure he doesn't get killed."

Hanzo nods. "I accept."

McCree says, "Sounds all right to me." He tips his hat to Mercy. "It'll be a pleasure to work with ya again, Doc."

Mercy smiles at him. "Ready to do some damage?"

"Yes ma'am." McCree takes out his revolver, opens the cylinder and checks the ammo, flips it closed. "Ready when you are, buckaroos," he says to you and Hanzo.

"Follow me," says Hanzo, slipping out the front door of the arcade. A full moon is rising in the night sky as you follow the archer through the narrow streets. He leads past a Rikimaru noodle stand and up to a massive wooden wall with a gate in the center. The gate is guarded by several sullen-looking Shimada goons in black suits, but there's a path through the shadows leading to a gap high up in the gate. A skilled climber might make it up there.

"Let's see if you can keep up," says Hanzo, and demonstrates just what you were thinking, using a climbing claw on his left hand to quickly and effortlessly scale the wall to the gap. He perches up there, looking down at you.

It takes you a bit more effort, scrambling up the wall with your grav boots, but you just barely grab the ledge and haul yourself up. "Piece of cake," you say.

"Hmmm," says Hanzo. Hard to tell if he's impressed. You get the feeling he has that sour look on his face a lot.

The two of you hop down from your elevated position just before a flashlight sweeps that position. You scale a nearby set of stairs to a platform and look down. To your right is the gate; in front of you is an open garden; to your left is a shrine with a huge bell hanging in the center. Beyond the garden, right in front of you, is the gate to the inner courtyard. Several suited thugs with flashlights are patrolling or standing guard.

You flick on your helmet's HUD and start examining the area.

Choose 2:

>What's the best way in?>What here is vulnerable to me?>What's the biggest threat?>What should I be careful of?>Who's in control here?

>>1079991>What's the biggest threat?>What here is vulnerable to me.We've got Hanzo with us, he'll know the best way in. Similarly, he might know who's in charge, and what should I be careful of is really similar to biggest threat.

First, you start looking around for something vulnerable to you. There's a giant bell in that shrine that's only held up by a thick rope. A few quick strikes from your blade should sever the rope and send the bell crashing to the ground, creating a noisy distraction for the guards at the gate and making them easy targets for McCree.

Before you do anything crazy, though, you've got to figure out what your biggest threat is around here. You watch the patrols of the guards for a few moments. They seem oddly confident. You recognize a certain behavior pattern -- when people are trying not to look at something. They're trying not to look up at the top of the castle keep, beyond the courtyard.

"The castle," you whisper to Hanzo. "Is there a place near the roof for a sniper?"

He nods.

"Damn," you mutter. You've got a bad feeling about that roof. If there is a sniper up there, they've got a line of sight on the garden, the courtyard, and the gate between them. "Is there another way to the shrine there?" you ask Hanzo, pointing at the bell.

"Behind us," he says, indicating a path. "It leads to the left-hand entrance."

>Risk sniper fire, dash straight to the bell and cut it down.>Stay in cover, go the long way around to the bell.>Keep quiet, move further into the castle.>Attack the guards directly.>Signal McCree.

"Get ready," you tell McCree over commlink. You and Hanzo slink back down the path, taking the long way around to avoid exposure, and end up at the side entrance to the shrine. There are two guards stationed here, smoking and talking with each other in Japanese. Hanzo easily dispatches one silently with an arrow. The second guard gawps as his friend suddenly grows an arrow, leaving him vulnerable to you sliding in behind him and cutting him down with your sword. You and Hanzo nod to each other, both thinking it's nice to work with someone efficient.

You watch the patrol movements. Judging the moment is right, you dash into the shrine, leap into the air with your sword held high, and bring it down and across the bell rope. You cut through about half of it. What the hell is this made of? you ask yourself, and try again. This time you finish the job. The bell crashes to the ground with a clang and a thud. The wooden floor splinters, and the bell is buried halfway, tilted askew.

The patrolling guards flinch in shock, but soon recover themselves. More come flooding in from the courtyard. A lot more than you expected, actually. They shout at each other, point guns in various directions. In the rear are Talon operatives, directing them with concise orders and hand signals. Several of the guards storm towards the shrine. Others go towards the front gate.

You fall back, hearing McCree's revolver open up. Some of the thugs by the gate start to drop. But others are taking cover and shooting back, filling the gateway with suppressing fire. "Gettin' pinned down here," says McCree. "I'm all right, but I ain't gettin' through that gate anytime soon, even with Mercy givin' me the boost here."

You could head out there to help them, but that would put in you line of sight of that rooftop--

>Accept that you're separated for now. Sneak into the castle with Hanzo. >Defy danger and pincer attack the guards in the garden. (High difficulty, but success means you keep your whole party)

"I'm going in with Hanzo," you tell McCree. "Keep them busy for as long as you can. If you get pushed, get out of there. Stay safe and meet up later."

"I gotcha. Be careful in there, pardner." You hear the revolver blasting away. "Come on out, ya yella-bellied boot-lickers. I got a bullet for each and every one of ya."

You and Hanzo take the cliffside path. To your left is a vast drop, and beyond it a view of Kyoto, lit up in neon at night. To your right are the the patrolling guards. The two of you quickly move past, avoiding them and the beams of light from their flashlights.

"Though here," says Hanzo quietly, leading you through a small stone gate. You use a wooden bench to step up onto a stone platform and move into the ground floor of a watchtower. Two Talon operatives are here, discussing their troop dispositions in voices muffled by their masks. You and Hanzo dispatch them simultaneously with blade and arrow, before they have a chance to shout or alert anyone.

Emerging from the watchtower, you hug the wall on your left as you move towards the front door to the keep. If there is a sniper up there (Widowmaker, you think, if Talon is here it has to be Widowmaker) you should be safe from this angle. You arrive at the front door without being fired on. Once you get inside, the sniper threat should be over ... for now.

"It's clearly a trap," you say to Hanzo. "I can shield us, but stay on your toes. Take my IFF code." You send his gear a beam link. You're still not sure just how the eggheads managed to code energy shields to let friendly shots though, you just know that it works. Hanzo should be able to shoot through your shield now, while staying protected from enemy fire.

The two of you move inside. As you do, you keep on the lookout for anything that looks expensive. In fact, if you remember your Japanese history, this little piece of pottery here would fetch a high price. Art history is such a valuable subject for the aspiring thief, you think, quickly snagging the piece and tucking it into one of the pockets you keep for just such an occasion. When Hanzo isn't looking, of course. Despite his family rivalry, he still might not appreciate you casually selling his heritage.

A short bridge connects the entrance area to the main hall. You warily move out onto the bridge. The instant your foot steps off the bridge and onto the tatami mats, a Talon radio squawks orders, and Operatives emerge from hiding along the back wall and on the upper balconies.

Yikes. That's a lot of Talon soldiers.

"Hi, fellas," you tell them. "Why don't we talk about this?"

They respond by opening fire. You snap your magnetic shield up into place, and the bullets slam into the barely-visible force wall.

Hanzo strikes, his dragon tattoo glowing as he charges up a scatter arrow and fires it at the back wall. Blue splinters bounce through the enemy ranks, slicing through them. He calmly nocks another arrow, aims upwards at one of the high ground operatives, and dispatches him with one shot. Methodically, he shoots a second one, who falls from the balcony to the floor below.

"Out of time!" you tell him as your shield gives out. It deactivates, the bullets clattering to the ground, and you each take cover behind one of the large ornaments styled like paper lanterns on either side of the bridge. Bullets strike them on the other side. It's a good thing these are made of metal, and not actually giant paper lanterns.

>Sword Form + Shield Dash: Get in there!>Gun Form: Trade shots.>Gravity Boots: Take the high ground for yourself.(Magnetic Shield: CD 2)

You step out from behind the lantern and burn your Shield Dash, boosting yourself forward. Bullets flash and spark as they rebound off the force wall. For the first time, you're treated to the sight of your shield slamming into a Talon operative and knocking him headfirst into the nearby wall, a sight you find highly amusing. The others turn to deal with you, the laser sights of their rifles tracking towards you. With style and grace you weave from one to the other, dodging their shots, your sword leaving a blur of colored energy as it swings through each one. You can't resist adding a spin flourish to the last one, ending in a dramatic pose with the sword as the last Talon operative chokes and falls over behind you.

Hanzo has taken care of the shooters on the upper floors, and witnessed your skillful dispatch of the others. "You have some skill, then," he says, looking around at the bodies, then back at you, clearly impressed.

"Widowmaker," you growl. The bullet came from the courtyard. She must have used that grappling hook of hers to descend from the roof outside. Part of you starts trying to think of spider-related puns. Something like "looks like you were caught in your own web." Or maybe --

Another sniper bullet cracks the air, and you decide maybe you'd better stay focused.You and Hanzo are behind the big lanterns again, only on the other side this time, taking cover from the front door. You look across at him. "We'd better deal with her. I'll--"

The back wall bursts apart in a blast of energy. Two Talon operatives in full body armor stomp through the resulting hole. Each of them carries an energy-charged lance in their right hands. They raise their left forearms, equipped with heavy plating, and a shield of red energy forms.

You vaguely remember Tracer saying something about Talon operatives with shields. These must be what she meant. And they've got you dead to rights. If you leave the lanterns to find cover from them, you'll expose yourself to Widowmaker's fire.

What they don't know, though, is that your Ultimate capacitor has been charging this whole time. And it's finally ready. You can feel your left gauntlet buzzing with the contained energy.

>>1080616Hey I didn't waste it, if we flush out Widow with Hanzo she'll likely move behind her goons for cover, we then drop the Ult on all three of them, locking them down for Hanzo to drop the goons, by which point our shield bash will be done and we slam Widow into a wall.

To be clear, Widowmaker and the shield guys are on opposite sides of you. The shield users came from the rear of the hall, while Widowmaker is outside the front entrance in the courtyard. For her to "move behind her goons" she'd have to get past you.

You step out from cover, raise your left arm, and fire. A mechanical anchor charged with violently swirling purple and black energy fires out from your gauntlet and impacts a tree next to Widowmaker. A violet gravity tether snaps out from the anchor and latches onto her. You can hear outside her swearing in French.

Hanzo's shoulder tattoo charges up with power. "竜が我が敵を喰らう!" he shouts, and looses an arrow, focusing all his power into it. A massive beam of energy shaped like two blue dragons spiralling around each other fires out, annihilating one of the Lancers.

The second Lancer steps forward, and you engage him in a duel of energy weapons. He's fast and powerful, and strikes several good solid blows, some of which penetrate your armor. But in the end you best him.

You clutch your wound, trying to ignore your pain. You'll see Mercy soon enough. Just got to hold on until then. "See if you can find Genji back there," you manage say to Hanzo. "I'm going to go deal with our sniper friend."

You head outside, hoping Widowmaker is still bound by the gravity tether when you get there.

>>1080742We are the Hero of The People, specialized in fighting the bourgeois elite, nameless mooks are our weakness because we know they are merely victims of circumstance that probably have to take the job to pay the mortgage, health insurance, feed the family and send both kids to schools

You walk out into the courtyard, only to be blinded by a bright light turning on above you. You step back, eyes stinging, and switch filters on your helmet. A Talon dropship looms over the castle, spotlights pointed down to the courtyard. The dropship hovers low, opening its doors.

From behind you, inside the hall, you can hear gunshots. Hanzo retreats, wounded, combat rolling out of the way of a spray of bullets that punch holes in the shoji. "Seeker!" he shouts at you, firing an arrow back. "Genji is here, but they're taking him away! I need your assistance now!"

You turn back to the courtyard to see a grappling cable fly up from the ground and attach itself to the dropship. Widowmaker starts to reel herself up, and the ship begins to rise. She looks down at you with a smug smile on her face, and blows you a kiss.

No choice about this one. You aren't going to abandon Hanzo and Genji just to chase down Widowmaker.

"Adieu, ma petit fleur," she calls out to you, as she rises into the sky.

You do flip her the bird as you leave the courtyard.

Inside, you rush to Hanzo's aid. Both of you are wounded, but together you're able to blast through the last few Talon guards. They were hauling away Genji, bound with strong restraints, for who knows what sinister purpose.

The cyber-ninja is alive but heavily wounded. Damaged. Both, you suppose.Hanzo quickly undoes the restraints. "Lean on me, brother," he says, pulling Genji up to a standing position and using his shoulders to brace him under one arm.

You can still hear gunshots from the front gate. McCree and Mercy must still be hanging in there, giving battle. You could stick around and help them mop up some extra enemy soldiers. Every Talon operative down here is one you might not have to deal with later.

You could also look around for some kind of computer terminal -- you had ideas earlier about perhaps hacking into the Shimada's accounts and transferring some money to Athena.

On the other hand, that Talon Lancer gave you a few pretty solid shots (HP: 130/200), and as long as you escape with Genji in one piece, the mission is complete. Maybe you should get out of here before anything else goes wrong.

>Signal your team to fall back, then escape with the Shimadas.>Help your team clean up goons at the front gate.>Search for a computer terminal, help yourself to a little funding.

>>1083165>>1083175>>1083159Sorry had a brain fart and thought you were talking about Hanzo. They might not even need brainwashing if Genji has enough electronic parts in his brain.>>1083189>Signal your team to fall back, then escape with the Shimadas.>Set up a backdoor to get into there systems

>>1083237We have a sexy cowboy, a sexy archer who has no body shame, a sexy cyborg with the perfect hand molded ass, a sexy angel cosplayer, and us, a sexy dashing rouge type. We can get stripper jobs while we're in japan.

Well, we could always go Full Mercenary and take on lofty security contracts for megacorps--hell, might even compete for those contracts with Helix Security and Fareeha's squad (and depending on how derptarded Raven wants to get with crossovers, can also put us in the running with a certain other group of mercenaries that have made a living of pushing payloads)

>>1083266I like your idea better than mine (Mercy dating show). Making an Overwatch TV channel for children is a great idea. We could get Al Jazera to play hardcore porn during prime time and pick up their signal cause they got banned. (That's how they started up by the way)

As much as you like money, it's probably a better idea to just get out of here and keep Genji safe. You turn on your comm link to McCree. "Fall back, guys. We've got the principle, and we're blowing this joint."

Together, you and Hanzo are able to help the injured Genji climb the outer wall nearby. Any guards who might have patrolled the top of the wall have been called away to the front gate. The three of you escape the compound and slip into the shadows of the Hanamura district.

Later ...

While your teammates and the Shimada brothers hide out in a no-questions-asked hotel, and Mercy tries her best to heal Genji, you take advantage of one of your limited communication windows and go to contact Tracer. Athena has some kind of function to scramble your comms and piggyback them in bits and pieces on other signals. So it's not exactly reliable, but it's secure for now. Until Winston gets that satellite in the air, it's better than nothing.

You sit down at a public communcations booth and punch in the number Athena gave you. A few moments later, Tracer's voice comes online, distorted by interference. "Seeker, is that you, luv?"

"Yeah, it's me. How you doing, Tracer?"

"Good! Me and Reinhardt had an interesting time of it down in Ecopoint Antarcticer. You won't believe what we found!"

>>1083405Any Ai would need a reason to act out like they did; the two options are either self preservation or hate. If they thought that they were going to wiped out by humans they would had fought to defend themselves and could have decided that the only way to survival was to eliminate all humans. As for the other possibility; Nothing is born to hate. Hate is learned and taught, while this should not forgive them for what they did, it dose give us understanding as to why they did it and how to avoid it in the future.

Tracer swings by in the Aurora to pick up Mercy, Genji, and Hanzo. You and McCree take civilian transport back to Spain. Hopefully soon you can afford one of those Orca aircraft, and you won't have to be dealing with these logistical problems.

---

Some time later, everyone has returned to the Watchpoint.

Tracer tells you the story of how she and Reinhardt found the snow-entombed Ecopoint Antarctica had been partially uncovered by severe winds. They explored the base, still half-buried in snow and ice, and found a set of occupied cryo-sleep chambers. Sadly, the base had been too heavily damaged in the initial storm, and all but one of the chambers had malfunctioned.

The sole survivor is a woman named Mei-Ling Zhou. You introduce yourself to her briefly. She makes an effort to smile and greet you politely. She's physically fine, despite the years in stasis, but you can tell the trauma of the event is weighing heavily on her. What would it be like, you wonder, to bunker down for an ice storm with your fellow scientists, only to reawaken over a decade later, the only survivor? Overwatch disbanded, Omnics resurgent, the world in chaos ... the whole thing must be an incredible shock. You'll try talking to her again later.

Genji, on the other hand, is physically battered but mentally fit. You go to see him in Mercy's medbay, which is starting to look like a real medical facility as that equipment you ordered begins to arrive. Mercy and Genji are having a quiet conversation. Hanzo is sitting on a stool in the corner, his arms folded.

When he sees you arrive, Genji pushes himself up into a seated position. "Greetings. You must be Seeker. I understand I have you to thank for my daring rescue."

To Genji:

>Yeah, I am pretty daring.>Your brother was the one who saved you. I helped a little, that's all.>How do you feel?>What did Talon want with you?

To Mercy:

>How is Genji doing?>How is Hanzo doing?>Thanks for your help out there.

>>1083467Jokingly,>Yeah, I am pretty daring.Follow up seriously with>Your brother was the one who saved you. I helped a little, that's all.Then to Mercy,>Thanks for your help out there.>How's everyone doing?

>>1083451Not saying abused; Just that when your a super computer who can think of a million thoughts in a seconded and your entire existence is filled with slights against and the only thing you can do is stew in your own anger how if given a chance at striking back you would not.>>1083452To be fair i'm not familiar with Overwatches lore so that very well might be the case with some of them however Reinhardt did call Athena a god mind so they all can't be bad.

>>1083533>To be fair i'm not familiar with Overwatches lore so that very well might be the case with some of them however Reinhardt did call Athena a god mind so they all can't be bad.Neither am I but I'm pretty sure they don't really say why it happened just that it did happen. It's not really a story focused game after all. I was going off AI characters like Ultron.

>>1083545I'm not trying to apologize; I'm trying to understand them. Understand the reason behind a action and you can either avoid or provoke a action and when your dealing with a sentient creature it's actions can range from petty such as >>1083452 points out or too reasonable such as self preservation.>>1083545And i personal i'm thinking more on the lines of the Loa from SotS.

>>1083597Would it be too much to say or speculate a reason /for/ god minds to begin with? I could either see Megacorps using them as research drones for preforming new experiments or there was some super dark secret that involved our replicator tech here that requires super powereful AI to properly use.

Only other things that I can think of that would require a need for AI that smart might be logistics to handle factories or something along the lines of trying to figure out some highly theoritcal type problems like trying to make unlimited energy or harnesing dark matter. Hell maybe even figuring out how to use time as a power source since Tracer is proof we can fuck with time in this universe.

Reports hit the news of a battle in the Hanamura district of Kyoto, at the ancestral castle of the Shimada clan. Pictures of Mercy and McCree in action against Shimada goons have hit the web. Much like the incident in Kurjikstan, some believe it all to be a hoax, some debate its true meaning. Others curse the name of Overwatch, viewing them as a symbol of government corruption and overreach. However, there are many who have been trodden under the boot of the Shimada's criminal syndicate, and rejoice in what they see as heroes striking down villains.

Asia reputation improved (+1)

Athena contacts you. She tells that many people, thrilled at the return of the heroes of Overwatch, have been trying to contact the organization. Much of it is simply fan mail and statements of support, but there are some -- especially those saved by your intervention in Kurjikstan and Japan -- who are trying to support the cause materially. Athena reveals that she has already set up several dummy corporations and charities to collect monetary donations, which she will feed into the organization's primary funds.

"Do these people realize they're donating to the actual, literal Overwatch?"

"Most of them? No," says Athena. "They believe they are donating to pro-Overwatch protest groups, community outreach initiatives, and so on. A minority of donors know the truth."

"So we're going to take money from people who think they're supporting Overwatch ..." you say. "And use the money to ... actually support Overwatch."

"Correct."

"So for now, Overwatch is crowd-funded." You take a moment to digest that. "I guess that's better than nothing."

Reputation:Asia: 1Middle East: 1Funding Received: 2

Selling the rare artifact you stole from the Shimada castle grants you 1 more unit of funding.

>>1083729I would assume they would have something we could use even if it's a out of date model and if Junkrat and Roadhog is any indication on how the rest of them are we might be able to get it at half price if we do some kind of cool stunt.